Quinoa with Roasted Veggies

Quinoa with Roasted Veggies, with a side of cucumber/tomato salad

1 cup quinoa (how to cook quinoa)
2 cups broth or stock (or water)
1-2 zucchini and 1 onion, cut into medium-large chunks
2-3 Tbs salted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 Tbs Dijon or stone-ground mustard

toppings:
dried cranberries
chopped almonds


Preheat the oven to 500.

Cook the quinoa in the broth. Coat the zucchini and onion with oil, salt to taste, and roast at 500 for 10 minutes.

In a small pot, sauté the garlic in butter until browned, then remove from heat and stir in mustard.

When the quinoa is finished cooking, stir the mustard sauce into the quinoa. Serve topped with roasted veggies, almonds and cranberries.

Optional: a dollop of plain yogurt on top

Homemade Sunbutter

We've been avoiding peanuts and tree nuts in our house for almost 2 years since finding out about our son's allergy. The one thing that I was the saddest to part with was peanut butter.

An easy replacement for peanut butter is sunbutter (it does taste different...so it's not an exact replacement). The jars at the store are expensive, so for awhile now I've been making my own.

Even if you don't have a peanut allergy in the house, I'd still encourage you to try making this. It's a delicious addition to a snack. It goes well with apples, bananas, celery, crackers, toast (with or without jelly), and of course a sunbutter and jelly sandwich.

When I make a batch of this, it doesn't last long because my kids just eat it up!

***

When I first started making this, I was going off of this recipe. I've adapted the proportions a bit, so I'm going to re-post it according to how I make it.

I buy my sunflower seeds from our local shop that sells mostly dried goods (The Pantry Shoppe). I buy them shelled and unsalted.

Also, all the recipes I've come across use a food processor for making sunbutter. If you make it in a blender and it works, comment and let us know.

Sunbutter

2 cups sunflower seeds (shelled and unsalted)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp olive oil

Toast the seeds:

Spread the sunflower seeds out onto a large baking sheet. Bake them in the oven at 275 for 20-25 minutes (you don't want them too toasted, or they will dry out too much). Let the seeds cool completely.

10 Minutes in the Food Processor:

Combine the seeds and salt in the food processor. Let it run for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides down as needed.

At this point, the oils in the seeds have started to come out and it gets thicker and moister. Now add in the honey.

Let it go longer, continuing to stop and mix it up if it builds up on the sides. After about 7 to 9 minutes from when you started, add in the olive oil. Let it run for another 2 or 3 minutes. It should be really creamy.

Store in a container in the fridge. It will thicken a little, but it shouldn't get completely solid (should still be spreadable).

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Our kids love noodles. And when we need a break from the red sauce or our butternut squash pasta sauce, we go for the Alfredo.

Until now, we've always relied on the jar. But we finally decided to make our own and it was delicious. Sean worked from a recipe on allrecipes.com:

Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce

I'll let you get the recipe from there. We had only two minor changes, listed below.

Homemade Alfredo sauce with sauteed onion and zucchini

The recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of butter. To make it healthier, we substituted olive oil (about 2 tablespoons).

Also, from our local farm stand, we are able to sometimes get white sweet potatoes. We baked one, pureed it and added it to the sauce. It gets hidden in there pretty well, and it gives the kids a little extra nutrition. 

Corn Salad

We had this as part of our dinner a couple nights ago. It was Erin's idea, but unfortunately the picky eater that she is, she ended up not liking it. But I thought it was delicious.

It's a great side dish for a summer meal, especially next to something off the grill...

***

Corn Salad

Veggies:

Corn
Peas
Grape Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Cellery

Dressing:

1-2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1-2 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp dried basil

 

Mix up and serve cold.

Beer Can Chicken

This past weekend, we had beer can chicken as our main meat dish for our Easter dinner. I took pictures so that I could write about it, in case any of my readers didn't know how to make the most tender chicken you've ever had.

It's not complicated at all. It does help to have a stand (pictured to the right), but it's not necessary. The first one or two times we made it, we didn't have our stand yet.

Aside from that, you just need a whole chicken, a can of beer and some spice rub.

Beer Can Chicken

The can of beer. You can use any beer you want. Better beer doesn't make better tasting chicken, so use the cheap stuff (we used Miller Highlife this time).

You only need the can half full, so either dump out half or drink it. Poke a few holes in the top half of the can. Put some of the spice rub (whatever you're using) into the can.

The chicken. Take the whole chicken and get it onto the stand. Rub it down with olive oil and then the spice rub.

Bake it. Preheat oven to 350. Bake it for an hour and fifteen to an hour and forty-five (depending on how big and how cold...). 

Ready for the spice rub (or a puppet show)

Bake em'

All done!

Tender, juicy, delicious chicken!

Mashed Cauliflower with Sauted Mushrooms

The other day, dinner didn't look like it was going to make enough for all of us. So Sean improvised and came up with a SPECTACULAR side dish. He can't take all the credit, though, as part of the idea came out of our Nutrition Action newsletter (the mushroom part).

I don't care for mushrooms too much, but both of us were amazed at the flavor of this. Definitely a repeat side dish.

Mashed Cauliflower with Sauted Mushrooms

1 16oz. bag of frozen cauliflower
1 medium chopped potato (peeled or not)
2 Tbsp butter
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

10-12 sliced mushrooms
2 Tbsp balsalmic vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Cauliflower

Boil the potato until it's starting to get soft. Add the cauliflower and bring back up to a boil. Cook until both are soft enough to puree. Puree with an immersion blender, food processor or blender. Add butter, garlic powder and salt.

Mushrooms

Saute mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat until well browned. Add balsalmic vinegar and soy sauce and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Tahini

Our half-used jar of Tahini

Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds, usually found in Middle Eastern dishes. It's very nutritious and can be used in a lot of ways.

From MindBodyGreen, here are
10 Reasons to Eat Tahini:

1. It’s rich in minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron. 
2. It's a good source of Methionine, which aids in liver detoxification. 
3. It’s one of the best sources of calcium out there. 
4. It’s high in vitamin E and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15. 
5. Helps to promote healthy cell growth. 
6. Prevent anemia. 
7. Helps to maintain healthy skin and muscle tone. 
8. It has 20% complete protein, making it a higher protein source than most nuts. 
9. It's easy for your body to digest because of its high alkaline mineral content, which is great for assisting in weight loss. 
10. It is high in unsaturated fat (good fat!)

Here's what it says on our bottle of Tahini:

High in protein and other nutrients, it is a flavorful base for appetizer spreads, a topping for pasta or falafel, or an ingredient in soups and salad dressings. Tahini is also ideal for desserts and confections such as halva.

We've been using our jar to make hummus and salad dressing. I thought I'd share these delicious recipes...

(just to be aware, the jar is expensive...around $7. But you'll certainly get a lot of use out of it.)

***

Homemade hummus on a yellow pepper

Hummus

(original recipe is from allrecipes.com: Hummus...this is very well reviewed. We modified it only slightly)

2 cups canned chickpeas (or cooked chickpeas*)
1/3 cup tahini
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 cloves of garlic (or a sprinkle of garlic power)
1 tsp salt
sprinkle of paprika
1/4 cup olive oil 

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except olive oil. As it's mixing, slowly pour in the olive oil until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

*Instead of a can, buy some dried chickpeas (much more cost effective and no added salt). Soak them in water overnight, boil them in water for about 45 minutes. 

Easy Ways to Spice Up Hummus 

Hummus is great with veggies (like carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, celery), bread, crackers and chips.

***

Tahini Salad Dressing

(idea based off of a Rachael Ray recipe...but drastically simplified)

1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbsp soy sauce
drizzle of vegetable oil
sprinkle of lemon juice
sprinkle of white sugar

Mix together. Easily double or triple to keep on hand in the fridge.

***

Broccoli and Cabbage Salad

Mix together:

- fresh broccoli
- red cabbage
- sesame seeds

(cashews and/or raisins would also be good)

Top with Tahini Dressing listed above.

Sean's Corn Soup

My husband is great at making soups. He just makes stuff up right out of his head and it turns out spectacular. And with tonight's dinner, our two picky eaters ate this up and asked for more!

Corn soup garnished with paprika and green salsa from Moes.

Sean's Corn Soup

1/2 cup dry white beans
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium white sweet potato, peeled and chopped
4-6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
1 16oz bag of frozen corn
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ginger

Cook 1/2 cup dry white beans in water for about an hour and a half, or until soft. Set aside.

In a saute pan, saute onion and celery in some oil on high heat, letting them sit to char a little. After several minutes, add the chopped white sweet potato. Turn the heat down and deglaze the pan by adding a little bit of water or broth (it will sizzle loudly) and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon (this gets up the char which adds flavor).

In a large pot, combine the onion mixture, white beans, broth, and bag of corn. Boil until cooked. Puree (we use our stick blender). Add spices.

Nut-free Granola Bars

I'm still looking to expand my "bag" of homemade snacks for the kids and I knew they would love granola bars (especially since we never buy them because of Noah's nut allergy).

I actually have never made granola bars before today and I was surprised at how easy it was. I found a nut-free recipe on allrecipes.com (called "Playgroup Granola Bars"). I followed it exactly except I didn't have any wheat germ. They are yummy.

When they came out of the oven, the edges were getting a nice golden-brown. They were still a little soft and the piece I took out was falling apart, but as they cooled they were fine to stay together as "bars."

I'm looking forward to trying them again with different dried fruits and maybe some chocolate chips :)

Soft Homemade Wheat Bread (from a bread machine)

About a year (or two?) ago, I borrowed my mom's old bread machine in hopes of regularly making our own bread (the manual is from 1992, so this is a dinosaur). I tried one loaf and it came out short, dense and became rock hard the next day.

I put the machine in my closet and it stayed there a long time...

I finally got it back out a few weeks ago to make an honest effort this time. I wanted to find a whole wheat recipe that will make soft bread (I mean, why would you want it any other way?). I found one that I have made about 5 times. The bread is definitely soft and we all love it.

The author of the blog post/recipe wrote a lot about it, so I'll let you read what she says and get the recipe from her:

Super Soft Whole Grain Sandwich Bread

She suggests mixing up all the ingredients - except the yeast and salt - the night before and letting it sit in the bread machine. Then add the yeast and salt in the morning and start it up. Soaking the flour like this makes the bread softer and more digestible.

A couple notes about the recipe:

1. It calls for whole wheat pastry or spelt flour. I didn't know where to buy either of those, so I'm just using plain old whole wheat flour. It seems fine to me.

2. The first time I made this, I already had a packet of dry active yeast. This batch turned out a little short. I then bought a small jar of "bread machine" yeast and the dough rose up so tall that it touched the top glass of the machine. I now only put in 2 tsp. of yeast instead of the 2 1/2 tsp that it calls for.

That's about it. If you have a bread machine, give it a try!

Chickpea Crunch

A week ago, I was poking around the internet looking for new snack ideas for the kids. I'm trying to break them - especially Noah - out of the crackers and raisins rut.

I wanted something nutritious, easy to prepare, and fun for them to eat. I found an idea on the Parenting magazine website. It's basically toasting chickpeas in the oven. We happen to have some, so I gave it a try.

We all loved them and they are so easy to make. Erin thought they tasted like popcorn.

***

Read a little more about chickpeas and why they are so healthy for you. They're a great source of fiber, protein and iron.

***

Chickpea Crunch

1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
olive oil
salt

Preheat the oven to 400.

Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. Pat them dry with a paper towel.

In a mixing bowl, coat them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Put them on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes. Stir them every 10 minutes to avoid burning.

They will continue to get crispier as they cool.

***

Note: The second batch I made, I didn't let them get crispy enough coming out of the oven. So the next day they were a little soggy.

***

Another option - which adds a layer of preparation - is using dry beans instead of buying them from a can. It's much cheaper, and the cans can have added salt (and maybe other things).

I just got done doing a batch that way and unfortunately, they didn't taste as good. BUT I'm not giving up...next time I'll just add some additional seasoning for more flavor.

If you want to do it this way:

1. Take as many beans as you want to use and soak them in water overnight - about 12 hours (don't add any salt to the water).
   
2. Put them in a pot - with a fresh batch of water - and cook them for 45min to an hour (bring to a boil and then simmer).
   
3. When they're done, drain the water, pat them dry and continue with the above recipe.

Happy snacking!

DIY: Homemade Crackers

As I further my quest to rid my family of highly processed foods kept around the house, I finally decided to tackle a staple around here: crackers. My children love crackers.

I went searching for something super easy to throw together that I wouldn't mind making about once a week (or however long a batch would last). I came across this recipe at allrecipes.com. I followed it exactly, but there were 2 major issues with it: they were bland and since the crackers are cut apart after baking, the outside ones get crispy but the inside ones stay soft.

After making some tweaks with each batch, I finally got them right on my fourth try. They are mild in flavor, so there is plenty of room to spice them up when we need to. But they do taste great, and my kids love them.

Whole Wheat Garlic Parmesan Crackers

1 3/4 cup whole wheat four
1 1/2 cup all-purpose four
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add olive oil and water. Ball up the dough.

On a flat floured surface - I do mine on parchment paper - roll out the dough (I do about a third at a time). Roll it out thin, but not so thin that you can't transfer it to the baking sheet.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares.* Try to make them all roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

Transfer the squares to an ungreased baking sheet (they can be placed close together). Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until they start to get crispy. They will continue to get more crispy as they cool.

* I plan on trying to find a square cookie cutter to see if it makes it easier and faster to cut them out.

Mud Pie Wraps

In trying to come up with a dinner for tonight (something fun for the kids to eat that would be full of nutrition), here's what we put together:

Mud Pie Wraps

Layer 1: Whole wheat flour tortilla

Layer 2: Re-fried beans

Cook a half cup of dried pinto beans in water on the stove for about an hour and a half (until soft). Puree with some of the water remaining.

Saute half of a small onion, some chopped bell pepper (we used yellow), and some garlic powder (or fresh garlic if you have it).

Add pureed beans to the onion/pepper/garlic mixture. Sprinkle with salt.

Layer 3: Mashed avocado

Layer 4: Veggie Mix

Cut carrots and cucumber into thin sticks. In a bowl, mix together the veggies, some vinegar and a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar.

Layer 5: Salsa

Layer 6: Mexican style cheese

We crumbled some Queso Fresco

Smack N' Cheese

One of our kids' favorite meals is our simplified version of Rachael Ray's Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, or as we call it: Smack N' Cheese.

It's an easy way to add a healthy vegetable to a classic, and it tastes amazing.

Smack N' Cheese with side dishes of roasted broccoli and potatoes

 

Smack N' Cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked butternut squash
1 1/2 cups milk (preferably whole milk, or half and half)
1/4 cup onions
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles

Bake a medium butternut squash at 400 for about an hour (until soft). Scoop out 2 cups and set aside.

Saute onions and set aside.

In a pot on medium-high heat, combine shredded cheese and milk. Stir until cheese is melted. Add butternut squash, onions, salt, and garlic powder. Puree with a hand blender (or put all ingredients into a blender).

Cook noodles and combine with sauce.

(This served two adults and 3 kids with no leftovers)

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

Butternut Squash Sauce

A while ago, Sean bought some butternut squash pasta sauce at Aldi and I loved it...probably because it's so sweet.

I wanted to give making our own version a try. It seemed like an easy way to sneak in an extra vegetable for our kids.

I looked over some recipes to get the basic idea of what to include, and then pretty much made up the amounts myself. Below is what I came up with....and it's spectacular!

The butternut squash is subtle, not overpowering at all. Everything blends well together and it has a nice, sweet, tangy flavor. And the kids loved it!

Homemade butternut squash pasta sauce on whole
wheat spaghetti, topped with Parmesan cheese

Cheryl's Delicious and Nutritious Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups cooked butternut squash
1/4 cup water
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp white sugar

Saute onions in olive oil. Combine onions, cooked butternut squash and water in food processor (or blender). Blend until smooth.

In a large sauce pan on medium heat, combine butternut squash mixture, crushed tomatoes, spices and sugar. Heat through.

S.P.A.C.L.E. Soup

We got this soup recipe from allrecipes.com, but we have altered it a little. Originally, Sean named it "spackle" soup:

Sweet Potato, Apple, Carrot, LEntil

but I don't know that we've ever used the lentils. The first time I made it, I didn't know what lentils looked like, and I grabbed our barley by mistake. It tasted great.

(the original name of the soup is Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple and Red Lentil Soup...so despite our nickname, it really is a delicious fall/winter soup)

S.P.A.C.L.E. Soup

1/2 stick of butter
4 cups vegetable broth
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 apples, cored and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup lentils, barley or cooked white beans
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Place chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook for 10 minutes.

Add vegetable broth, spices and lentils/barley/beans. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes (until vegetables are soft).

Puree with a hand blender.*

Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, yogurt, croutons, crackers

* if you don't have a hand blender, use a regular blender which will have to be done in batches, or something else that can puree.

Hot Cholcolate

This morning, Erin, Noah and I were the only ones at the park in this 50 degree weather (it wasn't that bad with heavy coats on). Oh, and don't worry, Sean was home with the sleeping little one.

When I noticed that their fingers were turning pink, I decided to lure them home with the promise of hot chocolate.

Once home, I looked in the pantry for my very old box of Swiss Miss. As they were downing the chocolatey goodness, I took a look at the ingredient list:

Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Whey, Cocoa (processed with Alkali), Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Nonfat Milk, Calcium Carbonate, Less than 2% of: Salt, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Carrageenan.

Not good. Not good at all.

(I looked up Carrageenan. It's a thickening agent obtained from seaweed. Large amounts of it have harmed the colons of animals, according to foodfacts.com)

So from now on, I'll be making my own.

Hot Chocolate

for one serving: 

1 cup milk (skim, 2% or whole)
1 tbsp baking cocoa
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

(maybe try adding cinnamon or nutmeg)

Heat milk in a saucepan on the stove on medium heat. Stir often to not scorch. When hot (but not boiling), dissolve cocoa and sugar. Mix in vanilla.

to make it extra creamy, add a splash of half and half.

Make your own Pizza Crust

We've done our own homemade pizza for a long time now, but only recently started making our own crust. Sean found a recipe that truly is fast and easy. No kneading, no waiting.

The original recipe comes from allrecipes.com, but I'll repost it here in my own words.

Kale, white beans and caramelized onions

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust

1 (.25oz) package active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup hot water (110 degrees)
2 1/2 cups bread flour*
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
optional spices: garlic, basil, onion powder

* we use 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 450.

In a medium bowl, combine yeast, sugar and hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Add flour, salt, olive oil and spices. Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes.

Ball up the dough and put it on a lightly floured surface to roll it out. Transfer to a greased baking sheet (if using a pizza stone, spread out some cornmeal and roll out dough directly on stone).

Add your sauce, toppings and cheese, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Make your own Popcorn

As usual, there are two reasons why making your own popcorn is better than buying microwave popcorn: it's cheaper and healthier.

Sean and I have been making our own for a while now. A post on Facebook prompted us to try it. We will never again go back.

The cost.

Here is a basic cost comparison between the two.

Examples of Microwave popcorn bought from Walmart (prices given on their website):

Orville Reddenbacher's "Movie Theater Butter" 10 pack - $5.18
Act II "Butter Lovers" 12 pack - $3.98

$.52 - .33 per bag

Homemade Popcorn Ingredients (per bag):

Popcorn - $.05
Brown Bag - $.02
Butter - $.13
Salt - $virtually_nothing

$.20 per bag

So not an earth-shattering difference, but cheaper none the less.

The ingredients.

When I went to foodfacts.com to get an ingredient list on microwave popcorn, I was surprised at how few ingredients they actually contain. Here's one example:

Act II "Butter Lover's"
Corn Popping, Palm Oil, Salt, Contains less than 2% of Flavors Natural & Artificial, Colors Added, TBHQ, Citric Acid

The obvious: It contains artificial flavors and colors that you won't get if you make it yourself. And I can almost guarantee you won't put as much salt and butter (well, oil in their case) on it as they do. So right there you're making yours a lot healthier.

The less obvious: What is TBHQ? On the foodfacts website, it's marked as a "controversial" ingredient. I did some minor research and quickly realized this is a preservative that I personally want to stay away from (even though the FDA says it's okay for me to have it in small doses...btw, a large does will kill you).

Article from naturalnews.com:

TBHQ - Why this preservative should be avoided

TBHQ is used in many foods...as well as in cosmetic and baby skincare products, varnish, lacquers and resins. It is used in the stabilization process of explosive compounds. The risks and side-effects of this preservative product far outweigh the benefit of it being used as a highly unsafe preservative ingredient.

Tertiary Butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ...is in fact a chemical preservative which is a form of butane. It is used in foodstuffs to delay the onset of rancidness and greatly extends the storage life of foods.

 A form of BUTANE...no thanks, I'll save that for my lighter fluid. 

Homemade Popcorn

1/4 cup kernels
small amount of vegetable oil
1 brown lunch bag
2 tbsp melted butter
sprinkle of salt

In a small bowl, coat kernels in oil. Put kernels into brown bag and fold top over. Microwave on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes (until pops are 2 seconds apart...you know the drill).

Melt butter and pour over popcorn. Salt. Enjoy!

Fluffy Pancakes

On the weekends, we often enjoy a brunch of eggs, pancakes and bacon (sometimes grits). Our go-to recipe for pancakes comes from our Taste of Home cookbook. We've never been disappointed with anything that came out of there.

This basic recipe makes light and delicious pancakes. It's easy to throw together and there are many ways to dress them up.

Whole wheat pancakes with apple cranberry topping

Fluffy Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour (we always use whole wheat)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg (or use flaxseed)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the egg, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients.

Pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto a greased griddle. Flip when bubbles form on top of pancake.

Makes 8 pancakes

***

Additions to batter:

• 1 mashed banana
• 1 mashed or pureed cooked sweet potato (makes a heavier pancake)
• Chocolate chips
• Blueberries
• Cut up apples
• Pecans or walnuts

Toppings:

• Honey
• Powdered sugar
• Jelly/jam
• Apple butter
• Peanut butter
• Peaches or Strawberries (chopped and sprinkled with sugar...let sit until juicy)

How to make a fruity topping

In a saucepan on medium heat, combine equal parts sugar and water. Bring to a boil and add fruit (apples, cranberries, blueberries, peaches, etc.).

In a separate bowl, dissolve a tablespoon of cornstarch in cold water. Add to saucepan and stir. Remove from heat.